The Kansas high school football season is officially underway, although it hasn't necessarily been a smooth start. We've had more than a dozen games cancelled due to COVID in Week 1, but several teams were fortunate enough to find opponents mid-week.
Then the weather played havoc on games on Friday night with several games being delayed due to lightning or postponed until later this weekend. Check out the bottom of this article for a list of games that will still be finished later this weekend.
Needless to say, we're happy to have football back and our Kpreps Friday First Look is designed to provide our initial reactions to some most notable games and performances of the week.
Let’s take a look at those and some of the other more notable results from Week 1.
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Blue Valley Northwest tops Blue Valley in Game of the Week
In the Kpreps’ Fan’s Choice Game of the Week, No. 5 Blue Valley Northwest held off No. 4 Blue Valley, 35-21.
The Huskies built a 14-0 lead in the first half on the strength of touchdown runs from quarterback Mikey Pauley and running back Grant Stubblefield.
The game was delayed by lightning in early in the third quarter. Once resumed, Blue Valley kicked a field goal to pull within 14-3.
The Tiger defense then picked off Pauley setting up a touchdown in the third quarter that narrowed the gap to 14-11. Blue Valley intercepted Pauley again which led to another Tiger field goal and tied the game at 14.
Late in the third quarter, Stubblefield scored on a 5-yard run to put Blue Valley Northwest back on top, 21-14.
Blue Valley would respond with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
Shortly after, Pauley broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run to give the Huskies the lead for good.
Stubblefield would later add his third touchdown of the game to give Northwest a two-score advantage they would not relinquish.
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Lierz, Holton shocks Nemaha Central again
Holton junior kicker Matt Lierz connected on a 32-yard field goal on the game’s final play to propel Holton to a 25-24 victory over Nemaha Central in a battle of ranked teams. Holton entered the game ranked No. 5 in Class 3A, while Nemaha Central was ranked No. 3 in Class 2A.
The game was close throughout, with Holton grabbing a 22-14 lead in the third quarter.
Nemaha Central, under first-year coach Michael Glatczak, scored a touchdown to pull within 22-21. The Thunder later had first-&-10 at the Holton 11-yard line, but Nemaha Central eventually settled for a 20-yard field goal by Zac Kramer to take a 24-22 lead.
Holton stayed alive kept the game alive with a wild drive that included some improbable scrambles and fourth-down conversions.
The Wildcats gave Lierz a shot from the 22-yard line and he calmly nailed the game-winning kick – just as he had done last year.
WATCH – Holton’s Matt Lierz kick the game winning field goal (courtesy of MSC Sports)
Remember it was Lierz, then just a sophomore, that kicked the game-winning 20-yard field goal on the final play to give Holton the 15-13 win over Nemaha Central in last year’s season-opener.
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Kanak impresses in all phases as Hays handles Wichita East
Hays High senior Jaren Kanak had two well-publicized moments in the last couple months. First, was his rapid rise as a national recruit and recent Clemson commit. Secondly, Kanak took over at quarterback once former signal caller Dylan Dreiling, a Tennessee baseball commit, elected not to play football. Kanak had only started one game at quarterback in his career before Friday. Plus, he and several other starters missed Monday and Tuesday because of sickness.
Still, Kanak delivered an electrifying performance in a 35-6 victory against Wichita East at Lewis Field Stadium. Kanak accounted for 484 yards of offense. He finished with 248 rushing, 162 passing and 76 punt return yards. Kanak scored on the game’s third play, the only score in the first half. HHS exploded for 28 points in the third quarter. Kanak had two long touchdown runs and threw a 98-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Dale. It marked the first-ever meeting between the schools. Last year, the team were a combined 12-5, and East had. East led 6A in scoring defense, HHS was fourth in 5A defense.
The game featured 34 flags. Wichita East had 21, including a number of delay of games. One touchdown was called back because of penalty. HHS had a strong day defensively, including solid showings from Gavin Meyers, Dalton Dale, Remy Stull, and Iden Baalman.
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Concordia tops Wamego 41-40 in 4 OTs
Another candidate for the best game in Week 1 goes to Concordia and Wamego.
The Panthers and Red Raiders played to a 14-14 tie at the end of regulation.
Concordia got the ball first and scored on fourth-down on a 3-yard Keyan Miller touchdown run. The two-point conversion was good from Miller to put Concordia up 22-14.
Wamego would answer with a 7-yar d touchdown pass from Hayden Oviatt to Chase Cottam. Oviatt would add the two-point conversion run to force double-OT tied at 22.
Wamego would score first in double overtime on a 10-yard touchdown run by Hunter Phillimore, but Cottam was stopped on the two-point conversion.
Concordia evened the score on a 6-yard touchdown run by Aidan Poore, but the PAT was blocked the game went into a third overtime.
The third overtime started with Concordia scoring on one play on a 10-yard run by Miller to lead 34-28. The two-point conversion failed on a dropped snap.
Wamego would answer with a 1-yard score from Oviatt to tie the game at 34, but the PAT missed wide left.
In the fourth overtime, Oviatt hit Collin Donahue in the back of the end zone on a 6-yard touchdown pass on fourth down for a 40-34 lead. The Red Raiders’ two-point conversion was again stopped.
Concordia scored on a 6-yard touchdown run by Miller to tie the game at 40. Joey Henderson then kicked the PAT to give the Panthers the dramatic 41-40 win.
These two schools played a six-overtime game in basketball last season, won by Wamego, 84-78.
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Sull runs wild as Hartford scores 100
Harford’s Shayden Sull rushed for 494 yards and 12 touchdowns as the Jaguars defeated Maranatha Academy 100-58.
Sull also added a 33-yard touchdown catch, completed both of his passes for 15 yards, and had a hand in seven two-point conversions.
Sull is coming off a standout junior season where he rushed for 1,547 yards and 21 scores and he’s well on pace to top those totals after Friday night.
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Aquinas slows down St. James, 28-7
In another Eastern Kansas League showdown, 5A No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas shut down 4A No. 2 St. James Academy 28-7 on Friday night.
The Saints took an early lead on a Jeremiah Penney touchdown run before St. James tied the game on a long touchdown pass from Jackson House to John Niesen.
Aquinas would take control in the second quarter as quarterback Maxxwell Ford and Sean Carroll each rushed for touchdowns to build the lead to 21-7 at the half.
Ford would later add another rushing score in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
Aquinas kept things on the ground in rushing for 391 yards led by Carroll’s 214 yards on 26 carries. The Saints did not complete a pass on the night.
House passed for 149 yards for St. James, but the Thunder could only muster 8 total rushing yards on 13 attempts against the Aquinas defense. All-state wideout Tyler Claiborne caught five passes for 39 yards.
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Bishop Carroll uses strong second half to top Wichita Northwest
In a Class 5A showdown on Thursday night, No. 4 Bishop Carroll used an opportunistic second half to knock off preseason No. 1 Wichita Northwest, 37-27.
After a pair of Geremiah Moore touchdown runs put Northwest up 13-0 early, Carroll responded with a pair of touchdown passes from Chase Smarsh to Matt Holthusen to tie the game at 13 by halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Carroll’s converted an interception by Reed Haneberg into a field goal for a 16-13 lead. Jadonn Williams then broke free for a touchdown run to put the Golden Eagles up 23-13.
On the next Grizzly possession, Andrew Bye scooped up a Northwest fumble and returned it for a touchdown to cap 30 straight points by Carroll and put the Eagles in front, 30-13.
Despite being a bit hobbled in the second half, Moore brought Northwest within 30-20 on his third touchdown run of the night, but they could get no closer.
Carroll capped their scoring as Smarsh hit Tate Blasi on a short touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal to put the Golden Eagles up 37-20.
The victory by Bishop Carroll stopped a 5-game losing streak to Northwest with the Eagles last win coming 40-35 to open the 2017 season.
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Blue Valley North routs Bishop Miege behind Martin’s big night
Another feature matchup on Thursday night pitted 6A No. 3 Blue Valley North hosting 4A’s top-ranked Bishop Miege Stags.
Blue Valley North took control early with an impressive debut under new head coach Adam Pummill, winning 51-24.
The two teams traded blows early as Blue Valley North senior quarter back Henry Martin tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Mekhi Miller for a 16-3 lead. Miege would respond with a Jaylen Burch touchdown run to pull within 16-10 early in the second quarter.
But Martin would respond with a touchdown to Lucas Bullock and after an interception would hit Jaxon Goldberg on another scoring strike. Martin closed out the half with a long touchdown pass to Cole Stratton to put the Mustangs in control 38-10 at the break.
Martin finished 27 of 33 passes for 372 yards and six touchdown passes in basically three quarters of work. Miller and Bullock each had two touchdown catches for Blue Valley North.
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Lawrence schools go 2-0 on Thursday night
With KU scheduled to play a home football game on Friday night, both Lawrence and Lawrence Free State opened their season on Thursday.
Lawrence opened at home with a 28-7 victory over Olathe East to usher in the Clint Bowen era as head coach of the Chesty Lions. Truman Juelsgaard passed for 210 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score as the Lions controlled the game throughout.
Meanwhile, Free State played at Shawnee Mission Northwest on Thursday given that the Cougars share a stadium with Shawnee Mission North who will play on Friday.
After an 0-6 season a year ago, Free State responded with an impressive 49-21 win over Shawnee Mission Northwest. The Firebirds exploded for 28 points in the second quarter to provide separation.
Jet Dineen rushed for more than 150 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 138 yards and two more scores.
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Pratt throttles Hoisington, 68-18
Perhaps the most impressive performance on Friday night was the Pratt Greenbacks routing Class 2A No. 5 Hoisington, 68-18.
The game was close after the first quarter with Pratt leading 16-11 on the strength of touchdown runs from Johnny Martinez and Enoch Walton. The Greenbacks then exploded for three touchdowns in the second quarter to take command.
A short scoring run from Trevor Stimatze pushed the Pratt lead to 24-11, followed by a 20-yard TD run from Max Younie to make it 32-11.
Stimatze later added another short touchdown run just before half to put the Greenbacks up 40-11.
Walton would add his second touchdown in the third quarter – part of his 156-yard night. Younie would later add two more scores on the ground as Pratt continued to pull away.
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Leoti-Wichita County makes statement with blowout win over Hoxie
Wichita County graduated a large and talented senior class from last year’s state runner-up team and as a result were noticeably absent in most preseason polls.
The Indians made a statement on Friday night by traveling to Hoxie and thrashing the No. 4 ranked Indians, 56-6.
Erhik Hermosillo and Tristen Porter were excellent in carrying the baton for the high-powered Wichita County offense. The Indians graduated standouts including all-state picks in Kayde Reitzke, Jesse Gardner, AC Hermosillo, Sheldon Whalen, and Manny Chavez.
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Saturday Games:
KC Wyandotte at Hogan Prep (Mo.) – Originally scheduled for Saturday (9/4)
Pleasanton at Christ Prep Academy -- Originally scheduled for Saturday (9/4)
Pratt-Skyline at South Barber – Saturday at 7:00
Maize at Andover – Resumes Saturday at 2:00 (Maize leads 17-7 in 3Q)
Columbus at Frontenac – Resumes Saturday at 9:30 AM (No score early 1Q)
Mulvane at Wichita Collegiate – Resumes Saturday at 12:00 (Collegiate leads 24-14 in 4Q)
Garden Plain at Conway Springs – Resumes Saturday at 100 (Conway leads 7-6 at half)
Whitewater-Remington at Douglass – Resumes Saturday at 2:00 (Tied 22-22; :58 seconds 4Q)
Monday Games:
Arkansas City at Winfield – Resumes Monday at 6:00 (Winfield led 3-0 at half)
Anderson County at Parsons – Resumes Monday at 5:00 (Parsons led 7-0 in 1Q)
Uniontown at Southeast-Cherokee – Resumes Monday at 6:00 (Uniontown leads 16-7 late 2Q)
Other changes:
Burrton at Ashland – game rescheduled for Monday, September 27th
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